Awards Season 2015: DGA and BAFTA Winners

Awards Season is now approaching the final straight, with one big weekend left. This weekend, however, has seen two sets of major awards handed outs.

DIRECTORS' GUILD AWARDS

The DGAs were handed out yesterday (Saturday 7th February). The film winners are:

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Birdman)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary: Laura Poitras (Citizenfour)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television: Lisa Cholodenko (Olive Kitteridge)

With this win, it's looking likely that Inarritu might sneak in for the Best Director Oscar, in place of the highly-fancied Richard Linklater. Both films have their merits: the sheer timescale and commitment Linklater took to get Boyhood on the screen can't be underestimated, whilst the continuous camera movements and overall style of Birdman is a technical tour de force. Both would be worthy winners.

Citizenfour also got a Best Documentary Feature nod at the Oscars, so this looks good for that.

BAFTA FILM AWARDS

Tonight (Sunday 8th February), at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the 68th British Academy Film Awards were given out in a star-studded ceremony hosted for the tenth time by Stephen Fry. Rosamund Pike, Eddie Redmayne, Edward Norton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, JK Simmons, Keira Knightley, Reese Witherspoon and Amy Adams were among some of the stars in attendance to celebrate the best in film.

Here's a full list of BAFTA winners:

Best Film: Boyhood

Outstanding British Film: The Theory Of Everything

Leading Actor: Eddie Redmayne (The Theory Of Everything)

Leading Actress: Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

Director: Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

Original Screenplay: The Grand Budapest Hotel 

Adapted Screenplay: The Theory Of Everything

Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer: Stephen Beresford and David Livingstone (writer and producer of Pride)

Animated Film: The Lego Movie

Documentary: Citizenfour

Film Not In The English Language: Ida

Cinematography: Birdman

Costume Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Editing: Whiplash

Make Up And Hair: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Original Music: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Production Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Sound: Whiplash

Special Visual Effects: Interstellar

Short Animation: The Bigger Picture

Short Film: Boogaloo And Graham

Rising Star: Jack O'Connell

Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema: BBC Films

BAFTA Fellowship: Mike Leigh

Stephen Fry was on top form as host, with a couple of nice little jokes; I also love how embarrassed he got after being kissed by Cuba Gooding Jr! I'm overjoyed to see the writer and producer of Pride get a BAFTA, as well as The Lego Movie winning Best Animated Feature. There was a very touching tribute to the late great, Richard (Lord) Attenborough and Mike Leigh's Felllowship acceptance speech was probably the highlight of the night, thanking those who have backed his films and also those who didn't- as they would have only interefered!

The biggest winner of the night was The Grand Budapest Hotel, winning five BAFTAs with The Theory Of Everything, Boyhood and Whiplash all taking home three. Congratulations to all winners!


Awards Season will culminate in two weeks' time, on the weekend of 21st/22nd February. Both the Independent Spirit Awards and the Razzies will be handed out on Saturday 21st February with the 87th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday 22nd February.

And then we can forget about this trivial nonsense until the end of November.

Awards Season 2015: BAFTA Film Awards Nominations

Today (Friday 9th January) saw the nominations for this year's BAFTA Film Awards. Below is a selection of the nominations:

BEST FILM

Birdman

Boyhood

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Imitation Game

The Theory Of Everything

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

'71

The Imitation Game

Paddington

Pride

The Theory Of Everything

Under The Skin

ACTOR

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)

Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)

Michael Keaton (Birdman)

Eddie Redmayne (The Theory Of Everything)

ACTRESS

Amy Adams (Big Eyes)

Felicity Jones (The Theory Of Everything)

Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)

Reese Witherspoon (Wild)

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Steve Carell (Foxcatcher)

Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)

Edward Norton (Birdman)

Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)

J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game)

Rene Russo (Nightcrawler)

Imelda Staunton (Pride)

Emma Stone (Birdman)

DIRECTOR

Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Damian Chazelle (Whiplash)

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Birdman)

Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

James Marsh (The Theory Of Everything)

A full list of nominees can be found here.

The Grand Budapest Hotel got 11 nominations, with Birdman and The Theory Of Everything with 10 apiece and The Imitation Game with 9. Most of the familiar names are present and correct, but there were a few surprises- Amy Adams' nomination for Best Actress being one (although I don't think Cake has had a UK release yet), with Steve Carell's Foxcatcher performance nominated for Supporting Actor another. There's a chance that the Academy might follow suit, to free up a Best Actor slot for David Oyelowo (although Selma failed to get a single BAFTA nomination). Also intriguing is Damian Chazelle's nod for Best Director. 

The BAFTA Film Awards will be handed out on Sunday 8th February, in a ceremony hosted by the inimitable Stephen Fry. 

Next week is a busy one for Awards Season, starting with the Golden Globes on Sunday (11th). Tuesday (13th) sees the Directors' Guild Awards nominations, which will pretty much lock the Best Director Oscar category. Wednesday (14th) will see the nominations for the Razzies (if there's any justice in the world, Transformers: Age Of Extinction and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will sweep the boards), whilst on Thursday (15th) this year's Oscar nominations will be announced.

Enjoy your weekend!


Tez

Awards Season 2015: Golden Globe Nominations

Today (Thursday 11th December) saw the nominations announced for the 72nd Golden Globes. 

 

The Golden Globes split the films into Drama and Musical/Comedy strands for some awards, which does mean that films and performances that may generally get overlooked when it comes to the Oscars do get recognition (it's rare that a purely comedic role will get an Oscar nod - the last one probably being Melissa McCarthy's turn in Bridesmaids). As usual, there's a high level of correspondence between these and some of the other award nominations announced meaning that several films and performances take another step closer to the coveted Oscar nomination.

Here are a selection of the Golden Globes' film nominations:

Best Motion Picture - Drama

Boyhood

Foxcatcher

The Imitation Game

Selma

The Theory Of Everything

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Birdman

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Into The Woods

Pride

St Vincent

Best Director - Motion Picture

Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Ava DuVernay (Selma)

David Fincher (Gone Girl)

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Birdman)

Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

Steve Carell (Foxcatcher)

Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)

Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)

David Oyelowo (Selma)

Eddie Redmayne (The Theory Of Everything)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

Jennifer Aniston (Cake)

Felicity Jones (The Theory Of Everything)

Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)

Reese Witherspoon (Wild)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

Michael Keaton (Birdman)

Bill Murray (St Vincent)

Joaquin Phoenix (Inherent Vice)

Christoph Waltz (Big Eyes)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Amy Adams (Big Eyes)

Emily Blunt (Into The Woods)

Helen Mirren (The Hundred-Foot Journey)

Julianne Moore (Maps To The Stars)

Quvenzhane Wallis (Annie)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Robert Duvall (The Judge)

Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)

Edward Norton (Birdman)

Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)

J.K. Simmons (Whiplash)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year)

Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game)

Emma Stone (Birdman)

Meryl Streep (Into The Woods)

A full list of nominees can be found here.

The Supporting Actor category brings all five nominees from the SAG Awards over, as does the Best Actress (Drama), with four of the five SAG nominees in Supporting Actress also appearing on the list (here, Chastain- who received an Independent Spirit Award nominee for the same role-  is favoured over Naomi Watts). 

It's abolutely brilliant to see Pride get a nod for Best Musical/Comedy. It's also nice to see The Grand Budapest Hotel get some recognition, garnering four nominations overall (three more than Interstellar that got one nod for Hans Zimmer's score). 

Next up in awards season is the Critics' Choice Awards whose nominations are announced on Monday (15th December)

Review: Pride (UK Cert: 15)

The Miner’s Strike of 1984. Members of London’s gay community realise that they have much in common with the miners: they’re both vilified by Thatcher’s government, the police and the front pages of the tabloids. The miner’s unions refuse to accept the money that the LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners) have collected, so instead they travel to the mining village of Onllwyn to help the families first-hand. Reluctant to accept money from the colourfully dressed gays, the people of Onllwyn are eventually won over by LGSM’s members. At a time when Britain had never been so turbulent or divisive, two poles apart communities end up forming firm friendships and fighting each other’s battles.

Films “based on a true story” have been drowning in money over the last few years. They’re a safe bet, audiences happily paying to see real-life David and Goliath exploits. Pride is another film based on real events, but what makes it an arguably modern-day classic is how assured it is, the mix of comedy, drama and heart-breaking moments all perfectly handled.

There are some big names amongst the cast of Pride, actors immediately recognised both here and over in the US; Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and Paddy Considine, all putting on spookily convincing Welsh accents. Nighy is a one-note actor, the quirky English gent, but he has always played that note amazingly well. Here, Nighy gets a bit more to do as quiet, weary committee member Cliff, who is feeling the struggle of the long fight against Thatcher. It’s not until he befriends the gays that Cliff gets his gusto back, fighting not just for his village, but his new-found comrades. Staunton is given the routine role of feisty Welsh pensioner, but she gets more than her fair share of culture clash one-liners. Considine, famous for playing morose, psychologically complex characters (Dead Man’s Shoes, The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher) plays Dai, a friendly, gentle soul and one of the key players on Onllwyn’s committee. Dai is an uncomplicated man when it comes to right and wrong, Considine relishing the stirring speeches he is given, dialogue that is down-to-earth and genuine; you don’t feel like you’re being cynically forced to cheer for the underdogs.

The younger cast is equally as good as the established British actors, even if not all of them get the screen time they deserve. Ben Schnetzer, as Pride’s main character, gay activist Mark, firmly holds your attention. There’s a touch of arrogance to him, but he’s unwavering about fighting the good fight, refusing to give up. Mark’s passion and enthusiasm keeps up the pace virtually throughout Pride; it can’t fail to rub off on everyone who watches it. George MacKay is the hard-not-to-feel-for Joe, a twenty-year-old struggling with the realisation he is gay. Joining the LGSM (Joe’s parents think he’s on a college cookery course), they help him to be proud of who he is rather than keep his sexuality hidden (any remotely suspect reading material is hidden in Joe’s room), and his transformation is gradual and convincingly fleshed out. Stars of British television Dominic West (The Hour, Appropriate Adult) and Andrew Scott (Sherlock, Blackout) play a couple who run the book shop that acts as LGSM’s headquarters. West and Scott are polar opposites, yet that’s what makes the strong bond they have so believable. West is flamboyant, speaking his mind, and has no issues in letting everyone know he’s gay. Scott plays Gethin, a Welshman from North Wales who left for London after his family turned their backs on him when he came out. Gethin is introverted, he doesn’t dress like the rest of LGSM, and he has a temper that gets him into trouble. West and Scott couldn’t be more different, yet it’s the glances and smiles they give each other, holding hands, chatting in bed, the things that all couples do, that make them charming to watch.

Sadly, some of the young characters are thinly written. The only reason Freddie Fox’s Jeff is in the film is so the Welsh children can braid his hair. Also, the lesbians – with the exception of Faye Marsay’s Steph – feel like they’re light relief rather than fully developed characters; they’re the butt of several jokes when they decide to form their own separatist group to help the miners.

These are tiny faults in an otherwise superb script from Stephen Beresford. There are one-liners a-plenty here and not just the obvious working class miners meet the gays jokes you would expect (“The only problem we’ve got that they haven’t is Mary Whitehouse”, Mark argues, “and that’s only a matter of time.”). The trailer for Pride was misleading in that it made the film look like it was portraying the Miner’s Strike as a jolly old knees-up. Instead, Beresford refuses to shy away from just how much the strikes and pit closures crippled mining communities like Onllwyn: two or three families living under one roof because they couldn’t afford to pay bills; police seeing the miners as “little people”; the miners being literally starved back into work. Beresford also writes several scenes that highlight the spread of AIDS and the misconceptions surrounding the virus in the early eighties. In one of Pride’s most heart-breaking scenes one of the characters meets up with an ex at a nightclub. Instead of a heavy-handed monologue accompanied by an emotional score, the ex tearfully says, “I’m doing the farewell tour.” You instantly know what this means and you cannot fail to start welling up. Beresford has written dozens of scripts for theatre, which explains why the melting pot of comedy, drama and punch-to-the-gut tragedy all neatly links in, scene after scene, and why most of the characters, despite such a large cast, feel like individuals, instead of being by-the-numbers.

You could pick apart Pride if you wanted to. While the hardships of the miners is far from toned down, I thought more could have been shown, such as the police’s behaviour towards the miners (which Arthur Skargill once likened to a “Latin American state”), and the number of ghost towns and villages that were dotted around Wales after the pit closures. It’s a tough balance as Pride’s agenda is to give audiences an uplifting and feel-good film. If the script was crammed full of political idealism and activism, only a small number of cinema-goers could stomach it. Pride finds a just-about happy medium.

Very few films can manage the feat of discussing heavy subjects such as politics, activism, sexuality, HIV/AIDS, bigotry, trade unionists, and so, so much more and have you cry cheerful, emotional tears by the time the credits come up.  This is one of the many reasons why Pride is the equal of British heavyweights such as Brassed Off, The Full Monty and Billy Elliott.

4 out of 5

Matt